Selecting animals for desired genotypic or potential phenotypic properties

Abstract

The invention relates to methods to select animals, such as mammals, particularly domestic animals such as breeding animals or animals destined for slaughter for having desired genotypic or potential phenotypic properties, in particular related to muscle mass and / or fat deposition lean meat, lean back fat, sow prolificacy and / or sow longevity. Provided is a method for selecting an animal for having desired genotypic or potential phenotypic properties comprising testing said animal, a parent of said animal or its progeny for the presence of a nucleic acid modification affecting the activity of an evolutionary conserved CpG island, located in intron 3 of an IGF2 gene and / or for the presence of a nucleic acid modification affecting binding of a nuclear factor to an IGF2 gene.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 11 / 177,498 filed on Jul. 8, 2005, which is a continuation of PCT International Patent Application No. PCT / EP04 / 000149, filed on Jan. 9, 2004, designating the United States of America, and published, in English, as PCT International Publication No. WO 2004 / 063386 A2 on Jul. 29, 2004, which application claims priority to European Patent Application Serial No. 03075091.3 filed on Jan. 10, 2003, the contents of the entirety of each are incorporated herein by this reference.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The invention relates to biotechnology generally, and, more particularly, to methods of selecting animals, such as mammals, in particularly domestic animals such as breeding animals or animals destined for slaughter for having desired genotypic or potential phenotypic properties, in particular related to muscle mass and / or fat deposition or, in the case of mammals, to teat number. BACKGROUND...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a method wherein the nuclear factor is capable of binding to a stretch of nucleotides which in the wild type pig, mouse or human IGF2 gene is part of an evolutionary conserved CpG island, located in intron 3 of the IGF2 gene. Binding should preferably be located at a stretch of nucleotides spanning a QTN (qualitative trait nucleotide) which comprises a nucleotide (preferably a G to A) transition which in the pig is located at IGF2-intron3-nt3072. It is preferred that the stretch is functionally equivalent to the sequence as shown in FIG. 4 which comprises the sequence 5′-GATCCTTCGCCTAGGCTC(A / G)CAGCGCGGGAGCGA-3′ (SEQ ID NO:______) identifying the overlap with the QTN, wherein functional equivalence preferably entails that the stretch is spanning the QTN, and preferably overlaps with at least 2 or 3 nucleotides at or on both sides of the QTN, although the overlaps may be longer. Also, functional equivalence entails a sequence homology of at least 50%, preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 70%, even more preferably at least 80%, most preferred at least 90% of the stretch overlapping the QTN. The stretch is preferably from at least 5 to at about 94 nucleotides long, more preferably from about 10 to 50, most preferably from about 15 to 35 nucleotides, and it is preferred that it comprises a palindromic octamer sequence as identified in FIG. 4. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a method wherein the nucleic acid modification comprises a nucleotide substitution, wherein in the pig the substitution comprises a G to A transition at IGF2-intron3-nt3072. Abrogating or reducing binding of the nuclear factor to the IGF2 gene allows for modulating IGF2 MRNA transcription in a cell provided (naturally or by recombinant means) with the gene.

[0026] The results have important practical implications. The IGF2*Q mutation increases the amount of meat produced, at the expense of fat, by 3-4 kg for an animal slaughtered at the usual weight of about 100 kg. The high frequency of IGF2*Q among major pig breeds implies that this mutation affects the productivity of many millions of pigs in the Western world. The development of a simple diagnostic DNA test now facilitates the introgression of this mutation to additional breeds. This could be an attractive way to improve productivity in local breeds as a measure to maintain biological diversity. The diagnostic test will also make it possible to investigate if the IGF2*Q mutation is associated with any unfavorable effects on meat quality or any other trait. We and others have previously demonstrated that European and Asian pigs were domesticated from different subspecies of the Wild Boar, and that Asian germplasm has been introgressed into European pig breeds (17). The IGF2*Q mutation apparently occurred on an Asian chromosome as it showed a very close relationship to the haplotype carried by Chinese Meishan pigs. This explains the large genetic distance that we observed between Q- and q-haplotypes (FIG. 4). However, it is an open question whether the Q mutation occurred before after the Asian chromosome was introduced into European pigs.

Problems solved by technology

One of the major problems in breeding programs of domestic animals is the negative genetic correlation between reproductive capacity and production traits.

The phenomenon of genetic or parental imprinting has earlier never been utilized in selecting domestic animals, it was never considered feasible to employ this elusive genetic characteristic in practical breeding programs.

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